St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church — Portland, OR; Homilies

What is God's sophistication? Fr. Chuck suggests we experience it in the way God, the "Divine Optometrist," looks at us through the "sweet spot" between extremes of focusing exclusively on human sinfulness and of turning a blind eye to that sinfulness. Hear the encouraging message of how God cherishes and loves you as a masterpiece he's created. Deepen your understanding of who God is, in his "swe...

Fr. Chuck presided and preached recently at the wedding of two young people who both belong to families of which Fr. Chuck has been a friend for many decades. The groom's dad and Fr. Chuck met as University of Notre Dame freshmen in the late 1970s and have been close friends and brothers in Christ ever since. Listen in as Fr. Chuck preaches on the couple's joy-filled, Christ-centered, Spirit-led v...

The Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee gains fresh power to enhance your relationship with God. Hear how, in this unpacking of cultural details and of different-but-legit ways to translate two key phrases in this familiar story from Jesus, the master storyteller. Fr. Chuck draws his homily primarily from an enlightening book, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes , by Kenneth E. Bailey, who...

With a focus (pun intended) on 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2, Fr. Chuck encourages all of us to be "equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:17) by using spiritual trifocal lenses. Listen now and learn about these gracious glasses which "The Divine Optometrist" prescribes! Plus, hear Fr. Chuck reveal an obsessive hobby. Catholic Mass readings for October 16, 2022, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Ex 17:...

What does Naaman's desire for Holy Land soil have to do with the placement of tabernacles in Catholic churches? And what does the healed Samaritan leper's gesture of falling at Jesus' feet have to do with the gesture of genuflecting (going down on one knee) in honor of Jesus' presence in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in those tabernacles? Listen now to find out.    Catholic Mass readings for Octo...

Listen now for inspiration on enriching your faith and the other gifts God has given you. Plus, gain a bit of background to answer the question, "Who's Timothy," as in St. Paul's Letters to Timothy. Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October, 2, 2022; Homilist: Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood, Pastor; readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2: 2-4; Psalm 95, various verses; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10

Hear a "true confession" from Fr. Chuck's, in second homily at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, about being an accidental contrarian no matter if he's around folks who call themselves "liberal/progressive" or "conservative/traditionalist." See what you think of his proposal that—like Jesus telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan to correct Jewish prejudices (Lk 10:23-37)—the Church isn't showing phobia...

Listen now if your dare to let the Holy Spirit bring to your attention someone you may be complacently neglecting, as the rich man ignored Lazarus in Jesus' parable which St. Luke relates to us in this Sunday's Gospel: Lk 16:19-31. God may well bless you by giving you the chance to reach out to a "Lazarus in your life."  Not on this recording is Fr. Chuck's "discipleship homework assignment," name...

In the Sunday versions of his homily, Fr. Chuck incorporated a heartfelt request from Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland. (On Saturday, he'd delivered this message at the end of Mass.) At a pastor's workshop the prior week, Archbishop Sample asked the priests to assure the people participating in Mass this weekend that he loves them and prays for them. In this 3-minute snippet, Fr. Chuck t...

This weekend, Fr. Chuck preached from the Opening Prayer—the liturgical term is, "Collect" (pronounced CAH-lect)—for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. That prayer speaks of how God has made love of God and love of neighbor the foundation of all "Sacred Law." Listen now to gain insight into the Holy Mass as our power-packed way to talk to God, whom we are to love. Plus, hear about the vital ministr...

Fr. Chuck gave versions of this homily at each of the Masses over the weekend of his official installation as Pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The actual Rite of Installation was during a special Noon Mass on Sunday, July 31. Hear him urge parishioners to come to him ASAP whenever he might anger or irritate or disappoint or simply puzzle them. That, and more, is how he fleshes out the title's "...

What connects the "Blip" of the Marvel® Cinematic Universe (MCU) to this Sunday's Parable of the Prodigal Son and to parish life in this phase of global emergence from the Covid pandemic? Listen to find out and ponder this call for M ercy, C ompassion, U nity. 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 11, 2022; Fr. Charles "Chuck" Wood; readings: Ex 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Tim 1:12-1...